Family and love
by Harronmionny
Summary: Tom is back from Boston. Mary is getting to know Henry Talbot better. What will happen between the two characters ?
1. At the Office

**Sorry about the many grammar mistakes I made in this fanfiction. English is not my native language ! But I hope you'll enjoy it !**

 **Mary**

Snowflakes were gently dropping on her bare shoulders. Despite the freshness of the winter, she had never felt such warmth in her whole being. Her hazel eyes were lost into the ocean of blue that was the look of the man she had loved for so many years. He approached her while staring at her intently, then gently grabbed her gloved hands. Uncontrollable smiles were outlined on their two faces pinked by the cold. _"Oh Mary_ _–_ _"_ he said emotionally, admiring her up and down as if she was the most precious thing in this world. She did not know what to say as the joy spread throughout her body and smothered her with happiness. _"Mary –"_ he repeated tenderly. _"Mary –_ "

"Lady Mary?" a familiar voice echoed nearby.

All of this idyllic setting vanished in a split second and Mary abruptly opened her eyes. The light of day piercing between the curtains blinded her. She quickly realized that her maid was at her bedside and was watching her waking up with an amused smile.

"Anna?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"You have slept well, Lady Mary" she replied cheerfully, placing her breakfast tray over her legs as she helped her sitting up in bed.

"Why do you say that ?" Mary asked, looking for the clock. "What time is it ?"

"The eleven o'clock has just sounded, my Lady."

"So late ?!" she exclaimed before giving out a tired sigh and starting on her croissant.

"It surprises me, you are usually so early in the morning" she admitted, starting to study Mary's wardrobe. "What would you like to wear today?"

"Nothing too extravagant, I have nothing special planned today, I simply go to the office to retrieve some papers about the estate. The pale blue satin dress will do just fine."

"Very well my Lady," Anna replied, carefully arranging the dress in question on the back of a chair. "As usual, ring me when you are finished eating."

Then the maid turned around and headed for the exit door. Her hand on the handle, she turned and seemed to remember something.

"I almost forgot to tell you, Mr. Branson was looking for you this morning. He seemed to have something important to tell you."

Suddenly intrigued, Mary opened her sleepy eyes fully.

"Thank you for the information, Anna" she replied kindly, smiling at her.

Then the young woman slipped away, leaving alone a Mary now impatient to be ready to go out and worried about what Tom had of so important to convey to her.

Since the passing of Matthew and Sybil, she and Tom had built a strong relationship, as family and friends. As a brother, as a confidant, as a friend, he had always been there for her in difficult times, and he had done a great deal to make her, slowly but surely, emerge from a long and exhausting mourning. Frequently, the Lady wondered if she was returning him what he was giving her _–_ was she enough there for him ? Following the death of Sybil, he had always been very lonely and discreet, especially during family dinners. He even seemed to have relinquished his strong political views, and spent most of his time dealing with the estate and his daughter Sybbie _–_ which in Mary's eyes was not a bad thing.

When she was finally ready, Mary looked at herself another time in the mirror before saying :

"Thank you Anna. That will be all."

The maid gave her a benevolent smile which the Lady returned to her and she went down with the servants in the kitchen. Mary, meanwhile, went to the library and was not surprised to find her father there. At the moment she opened the door, Robert, sitting cross-legged in his favorite armchair, Isis at his feet, looked up from his newspaper.

"Ah, Mary!" he exclaimed, amused. "We began to wonder if you were going down one day."

"I was sleeping" she replied impassively, going to kiss him.

"Am I to believe that Granny exhausted you so much at the dinner last night?" he teased, looking back at the article he was reading.

"No, it is not that. To tell the truth, I do not even know why my sleep lasted so long."

Matthew's soft images caressing her gloved hands resurfaced in her mind and she knew deep down that she had, so to speak, forced her sleep to pursue her dreams alongside the man of her life.

"Nevermind," continued Mary. "Where are the others?"

"Your mother went to visit Isobel, Edith had some shopping to do in Ripon and Tom went to the office, on the latest news.

"Thank you Papa" she thanked him quickly before turning toward the door.

"Are you leaving already ?" he asked, looking up again from his newspaper.

"Yes, I am going to join Tom at the office. I have some things to retrieve."

"Alright, we will see each other later then."

She nodded, smiling at him briefly, and walked out of the library. She called for a driver to take her to the office, eager to see Tom.

* * *

 **Tom**

While classifying the various files dealing with the future dwellings planned on the estate, Tom was thinking back to the phone call he had received in the morning. He could not help but smile slowly every time he thought about it. It was going to make her so happy.

At the very moment he had finally finished arranging the archives, the office door opened. Without even looking up, he knew who it was, since there were only two to frequent this place.

"Hello Tom" said Mary, closing the door behind her and taking off her hat.

"Hello my dear partner" he answered, beaming.

She stopped her movements and gave him a questioning look. It was true that he did not have the habit of appearing so cheerful. Yet he could not help but be happy. He certainly seemed childish, hands tied behind his back, waiting for her to take place in front of him.

Noticing his happy expression, Mary could not help but smirk.

"Well, what is it this morning that makes you so happy? Anna made me understand that you had something to tell me."

She put her jacket and hat on the coat hanger and went to sit in front of him, legs and arms crossed, her eyes staring at his, seeming to eagerly await an answer from him.

"Are you going to tell me? she said, noticing that he was not answering.

"I received a call from Lady Shackleton this morning. She will come to dinner tomorrow evening at Downton."

"And so ? How does this affect me?"

"But she does not come alone, she comes with her nephew" Tom continued, his smile widening as he spoke.

"To whom will I have the honor?" she asked with a detached air.

"You really have no idea?"

Mary seemed to think for a moment about the identity of the person in question, but ended up arching an eyebrow in denial.

"I presume you remember Henry Talbot?" he finally said, probing her eyes.

Mary's haughty expression instantly turned into an astonished and troubled look, her imperturbable features loosening. She slightly opened her lips and looked down for a brief moment, then proudly straightened her face towards him, her haughty look resuming as quickly as it had gone.

"Oh, how lovely" she said with a fake smile.

But Tom was far from being a fool. After all those years with her at Downton, he knew perfectly well that Mary had not been unmoved by the announcement, and he could easily discern a perturbed expression on her face. However, he did not say a thing about it, wanting to avoid offending her. Instead, he smiled at her and continued :

"I understood that you enjoyed his company the last time you saw each other."

Seeing Tom's teasing intonation, she arched her eyebrows again and rolled her eyes. She had perfectly understood where he was coming from.

"Tom, you are exasperating" she reprimanded him.

"Am I ?" he replied with a sneer. "I thought you would be happy to hear of his arrival to Downton."

"Oh but I am, do not worry about that," certified Mary by revealing a big fake smile. "But do not start insinuating anything about it."

"I do not see what you mean" Tom denied, looking intentionally shifty.

"Oh, of course, you do not see" she accused him in an icy tone.

Although he was used to the Lady's mood swings, he thought it best to change the subject.

"In any case, do not be surprised to see him show up tomorrow evening. I guess you were not supposed to know about his coming."

"It does not matter, simulating surprise is one of my specialties" she said.

"I know that all too well" Tom replied, smiling at her kindly.

Mary could not help but smile back and got up from her seat.

"I was first here to pick up a paper about the Drewe farm," she said, scanning the office with her eyes. "It seemed to me to have put it here."

"Ah," said Tom, spitefully. "It turns out that I just tidied up all the archives, it must be somewhere in there."

He pointed to a full to bursting bookshelf, and Mary sighed wearily. She resigned herself, however, to go toward the furniture and start searching through the piles of files.

Meanwhile, Tom, still sitting at the desk, pulled a sheet of paper and a fountain pen out of the drawer. For several weeks now he had promised himself to write to his brother who was living in Liverpool. It had been several months since they had not exchanged letters, and although the two brothers had always had some tense relations considering Tom's affiliation with the Crawley family, Kieran was still the only Branson family that remained to him. So he began to make run the ink on the paper, while Mary was still busy looking for what she had come for.

"Anyway you are wrong," she said indifferently, breaking the silence in the office. "I can not be attracted to a man like Henry Talbot."

Tom looked up suddenly from his missive to look at Mary, who had not bothered to turn to speak to him. He was both surprised and happy to see her approaching this subject again.

"Why that ?" he asked, curious.

" _Cars_ are his greatest passion," she replied, insisting with a jaded air on the word, while leafing through a register. "And I can not appreciate a man who loves these machines."

"Am I to infer that you do not appreciate me?" retorted Tom, half offended and half amused.

Mary then put down the heavy file she was holding on the shelf and finally deigned to turn to him. She stared straight at him and raised her eyebrows.

"This question has no place, Tom. We are talking about a man to whom I could potentially marry and with whom I should spend the rest of my life, the comparison is impossible. It is obvious that I appreciate you."

Tom was touched by what he had just heard, but did not let anything appear. Instead, he smiled sarcastically and replied :

"So _–_ You admit that there is an ambiguity in how you feel about him?"

Mary glared at him and then turned back to work with the files, not even bothering to answer him. Tom let out a slight laugh and again began to write his letter, a smile still drawn on his lips.

Only seconds later, Mary finally admitted :

"Possibly."

At this answer, Tom's smile was only getting bigger.


	2. The Dinner

**Mary**

"Do you prefer this chain with this silver pendant or the usual pearl necklace?"

Mary briefly studied the two pieces of jewellery her maid was presenting to her. In this particular evening, she wanted to be irreproachably dressed. Indeed, the house was preparing to receive Lady Shackleton accompanied by her nephew Henry - at least, according to Tom.

"Let's try on the pendant" she finally decided.

Anna nodded through the reflection of the mirror on the varnished wooden chest of drawers and carefully put the chain around her neck as Mary was slipping her gloves on, thoughtful. The first and last contact she had shared with Henry took place months ago at Brancaster Castle. Since that time they had hardly communicated, and had not even exchanged the shadow of a letter.

"You are ready to go down, my Lady," the young woman said when she had finished fastening the clasp in her neck. "This chain suits you beautifully."

"Thank you Anna," said Mary, kindly smiling, returning to the present moment. "I hope my clothing is not excessively – Extravagant."

For the occasion, she had preferred her red dress adorned with lace, she had not worn for ages now.

"Don't worry, my Lady," Anna reassured her as she walked toward the wardrobe to put the other outfits away. "You are very fine as you are."

Mary could not help but smile at the courtesy of her maid again.

She gazed one last time in the mirror, adjusting a few details of her dress, then rose from her seat.

"Well, it is time to go down" she said.

"Enjoy your evening Lady Mary."

* * *

When Mary had Carson open the door for her and entered the library, she felt a great number of eyes on her, scrutinising her from top to bottom. She pretended not to have noticed anything, and walked with a proud air towards her parents, who were conversing in the middle of the room. When Cora, who had her back turned, saw her, a wide smile spread across her face.

"Mary!" she exclaimed, beaming, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "You are a beauty !"

"I hope so," she replied, with a falsely modest air. "Anna took hours to get me ready."

At the same time, Mary said good evening to Isobel and Granny, who were sitting on the sofa a few feet away from them, and who - as usual - were talking in a tumultuous tête-à-tête. Then she decided to join Edith, Rose and Atticus who were all in a corner of the room, but first went to a pedestal table to take a flute of champagne.

"Would Lady Mary have pulled out all the stops tonight?" teased a voice just behind her back.

Mary jumped abruptly and almost spilled the cup of wine she had just grabbed, then turned around. She found herself in front of Tom, who could not help but contemplate her clothes.

"I am warning you Tom," she told him with a look as black as satisfied. "Do not start. Unless you want me to throw you this champagne in the face and you will have to go change."

"You would not do that," he retorted, amused.

"Is this a challenge?" she asked while staring intently at him.

At the very moment she finished her sentence, she heard Carson enter the room and instantly turned back to the door, eager to see if the long-awaited guests were arriving.

"Lady Shackleton and Mr. Henry Talbot" majestically informed the butler.

When Mary saw them both appear in the doorway and enter the library, she was like paralyzed. Her feet seemed to be rooted to the floor and her troubled eyes refused to look away from the man she had hoped to see again. It had been so long since she had seen him that she had almost forgotten the fascinating features of his face. While watching him say good evening to each member of the family, she scrutinized every detail of his appearance, from his raven hair to his feet. He was giving off an aura of exquisite elegance around him, and Mary was even more disturbed when Henry's eyes finally fell upon her. While a slight smile was outlined on his charming lips, he walked slowly towards her, while seizing a cup of wine. As soon as he stood in front of her, the words she would have liked to tell him - she had rehearsed the planned speech for the entire afternoon - got stuck in her throat, to her stupefaction. Even though Mary's mind was unstable, she had never lacked eloquence and had not experienced such delicate situations. _Except with Matthew_ , she thought bitterly.

"Well," she finally managed to enunciate, smiling at him politely. "What brings you to Downton?"

She was surprised to have managed to pronounce these few formal words. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought for a moment she was sick. The uncontrollable effect he had on her monopolized her completely - and dangerously.

"An idea from my very dear aunt," the man in question said, staring at her meticulously, his black eyes riveted on hers. "She is a long-time friend with the Dowager Countess, as you certainly know."

"Indeed," Mary confirmed.

Then she marked a pause that seemed endless before starting again :

"Well, you see me delighted that your aunt has mentioned that idea. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise," he admitted, gently taking her gloved hand unoccupied to hold the cup of wine, before putting a kiss on it.

At this contact, Mary was shivering from head to toe and her tranquilized heart was racing again. She had met dozens and dozens of men since Matthew's death, yet none had ever given her so much irrepressible sensations. She was not understanding.

As she was thinking about all that, she did not immediately realize that an awkward silence had set in between both of them. _Both of them ?_ Suddenly, she came back on the present instant and remembered with embarrassment that Tom was just to her left, slightly behind. She had been so absorbed by Henry's arrival that she had almost forgotten his presence. She then turned to him, and saw him arching an eyebrow as he met her gaze, sipping champagne. She was terribly confused for letting him endure this uncomfortable conversation, but did not let anything appear.

"Let me introduce you to my brother and partner, Tom Branson" Mary said, inviting Tom to come forward.

The latter complied, then held out his right hand, which Henry shook strongly.

"We already have had the chance to get to know eachother at Brancaster," Tom said as he looked at Mary.

"Of course you have, how stupid of me," she answered with an obvious expression.

She blamed herself for seeming so clumsy.

"You like cars if my memory serves me well" Henry said to Tom as if he had not paid attention to Mary's remark.

"Indeed," answered the Irishman, who seemed pleased to have marked his mind.

"So you are a man of taste."

"I like to believe so, although the field of cars is not to the taste of everyone. "

As he spoke, he glanced at Mary, who raised her eyebrows proudly and displayed a falsely amused smile. Henry did not seem to grasp the implicit exchange between his two interlocutors, but again did not try to understand more. Instead - to Mary's displeasure, he started the conversation with Tom again :

"I'm not sure you've already communicated it to me, but how are you affiliated with the Crawley family?"

"My late wife, Lady Sybil, was the daughter of Lord Grantham. I was a driver at Downton when we got married."

When he had finished his sentence, he drank one last sip of wine and lowered his gaze to the ground, his eyes blank. Mary discerned a tiny expression on his face that she knew was a great melancholy. And God knew how much she understood what he was feeling at that moment. However, despite the feeling of empathy that overwhelmed her, she thought it best to continue the conversation in a positive tone.

"In any case, Tom is now managing the estate by my side," she said with a strange sense of pride, while placing her hand on her brother-in-law's forearm. "And he's doing great, much better than I'll ever do."

Tom looked up instantly at her, stunnedly. He seemed touched.

"Well, what a testimony !" exclaimed Henry, cheerful. "I would almost be jealous."

Again, Mary's heart leaped in her chest at she heard these jokes. _Because, obviously, it could only be jokes._

"This is far from usual, I assure you" clarified Tom in a sneer.

Henry chuckled politely, and Mary remained shocked by what he had just said. Did he really think that of her ? Did he consider her so – _Indifferent_?

Not wishing to cast a shadow over her own mind, she preferred to drive those thoughts out of her brain when Carson announced dinner ready to be served.

* * *

 **Tom**

The rest of the evening went smoothly, though Lady Violet decided to go home earlier, annoyed by Isobel and Lady Shackleton's contradictory remarks. For the time he lived in Downton, Tom almost considered this event a ritual, and no longer paid much attention to it, like the Crawleys.

During dinner, he was placed between Robert and Edith, with whom he had exchanged about the estate for most of the time. Obviously, Mary had been sitting next to Henry, laughing loudly at the least of his jokes and gazing at him in a totally captivating way. Tom knew perfectly well the moods of the Lady, it was clear that the man had easily seduced her, and he was very happy for her. To see her laughing again with cheerfulness could only delight him.

After dinner, as usual, they all went - except for Robert and Cora who went to bed - in the library to relax and chat in the sofas and armchairs. Tom sat next to Isobel, who looked livid and seemed lost in thought.

"Are you feeling quite well ?" he asked, worried.

She turned her head towards him incredulously, as if she had just realized his presence. Coming back from her thoughts, she smiled benevolently.

"Oh, yes, I feel very good," she said in a tone to thank him for his concern. "I am just a bit tired."

But Tom noticed that her words sounded wrong and that something else was inevitably bothering her. He did not have to think for a long time about the cause of her morose attitude when he noticed her gaze quickly going multiple times on two people in particular being alone in the back of the room.

"No one will ever replace him" he assured her categorically.

A brief silence ensued.

"I am not sure what you are talking about, Tom," she said with a smile.

"No one will ever replace Matthew," he repeated. "If that's what you fear."

When she heard her son's name, an expression of great sadness spread over her pale face. Tom then put his hand on her shoulder as a sign of compassion, which she covered with her own and squeezed it firmly.

"I know," she finally said. "Moreover, I do not have the slightest desire that Mary be left alone for the rest of her life. I wish her to be happy. It is good if this man can bring her what she needs. He seems to be an honest person."

"He is" Tom confirmed.

Isobel let go of his hand and he rested it on his lap. They remained silent for a few moments, their eyes on Henry and Mary chatting jovially.

"You know," started Tom, breaking the silence, "It will be hard for me to let her go as well."

"But she will always live in Downton, even if she remarries" she said kindly.

"Yes of course. But you see, since the death of Sybil – and Matthew" he added carefully "We have shared many things together. It will make me feel very lonely when she gets married again. "

He had never confessed what he felt about it to anyone, and was happy that Isobel was that first person. She was probably in the best position to talk about it.

"I see," she replied understandingly. "Only will come the day when you too, will remarry, and I wish that to you with all my heart."

He thanked her with a smile. After a short pause, she went on :

"If I were you, I would not be worried at all about it."

"What do you mean ?"

"Even if she remarries, she will not put you aside. You manage the estate together and, above all, she likes you very much, Tom. Certainly much more than you think."

Tom was stunned by what Isobel had just told him, while peeking at Mary.

"That's very kind of you," he thanked her, touched.

"Simply the truth," she assured, rising from her seat. "It is quite late, I think I am going to go home."

"I follow you, I will go up to bed too."

Tom and Isobel made their way to the exit door, waving a hand to those still in the library as a goodbye.

He walked Isobel to the car that was ready to take her home, then climbed the sumptuous steps of the hall to go upstairs. Once there, he walked down the corridor towards his room, when a familiar voice echoed behind his back.

"Tom!"

His hand almost on the handle of his door, he turned around and saw that Mary had followed him from the library. She then walked towards him, in order to be able to talk to him without having to raise her voice.

"Mary ?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "What is it ? Has Henry just left ?"

"No," she said with an annoyed air. "I just slipped away, I think I have the right to talk to my brother-in-law, Henry can certainly do without me for a few minutes."

"I'm not so sure of it," Tom joked.

She gave him her usual black look, but softened immediately.

"You did not think you were going to sleep without even saying good night, did you ?" she teased, narrowing her eyes.

"It turns out I _did_ say goodnight when we came out of the library with Isobel" Tom answered in a colder tone than he expected.

Mary did not seem to have paid attention to the intonation he had used, but seemed reluctant to tell him something.

"What is it ?" he asked, intrigued.

Mary nervously twisted her hands before looking him straight in the eyes.

"I only wanted to ask you a question."

"I am all ears."

"Earlier in the evening, when Henry arrived, you hinted how rare I was to be nice to you.

"Mary, it was just –" he began.

"Let me finish" she cut him so curtly that he did not dare to speak.

She went on :

"Even if it were a simple joke, it would affect me a lot that you do not believe me sincere in my comments about you. You are an integral part of the family Tom, and do not doubt for a moment the affection I have for you. I appreciate you more than my own sister, Edith, and even more than anyone, to be honest."

At the listening of these warm words, Tom did not know how to answer so much he was dismayed. While she had spoken, her hazel eyes had fixed him with an intensity like no other. Mary had never spoken to him that way. Pantois, he opened his mouth but the words could not come out, so he closed it instantly.

"I insist on Tom," she continued. "Trust me, just as I trust you."

"Of course I trust you !" he exclaimed in an evident tone.

Mary stared at him for a moment, then a smile spread slowly across her face.

"So all is well," said the Lady, putting on her gloves, which she had until then held in her hands. "Good night, Tom."

Then she turned around and went back to the library in her usual haughty way, the laces of her red dress floating behind her. Left alone and pensive, Tom could not help but smile. What had just happened only confirmed Isobel's claims, and even though he had never doubted Mary's sincerity, he was glad to hear those words from her.

"Good night Mary" he murmured as she had already disappeared into the corner.

Then he finally opened the handle of his door and went into his room.


	3. The Phone Call

**Thanks for your reviews ! This chapter is a bit shorter.**

* * *

 **Mary**

Several days had passed since Lady Shackleton and Henry Talbot came to Downton. In spite of the time that went by, the memory of the latter in Mary's restless mind remained as ardent and intense as when they had seen each other.

She still had a hard time understanding why this man, whom she had met only twice in a lifetime, had so much effect on her. It was obviously not love, because Mary could not feel what she had felt with Matthew, and it seemed absurd that she could fall in love with a man she barely knew. However, she could not help wondering about this strong and sudden attraction, a multitude of questions colliding in her head. _How could I be attracted to a man who likes cars ?_ she repeated to herself tirelessly, trying to convince herself that all this was perfectly foolish. Moreover, Henry had no rank among the aristocracy and represented only a vulgar race car driver exposing himself ridiculously to unnecessary risks. Out of respect for her family, she could not simply attach herself to a man of such low class, on pain of devaluing the Crawley.

She immediately regretted the odious thought that had crossed her mind when Tom entered the room.

"Good morning" he greeted as he went to get a cup of coffee.

Then he took a seat at the table, in front of Robert and between Mary and Edith, who had not spoken a word so far. As usual, Tom's arrival at their side during breakfast had a knack for radically relaxing the oppressive climate that reigned between the two sisters.

"Are we still going to inspect the work of the new houses south of the estate this afternoon ?" he asked, turning to Mary.

"Of course," she replied, her eyes on the tea she was stirring. "It is important to me to see how our money is used."

Tom let out a slight laugh, then took a sip of coffee.

"It is time for me to go to the library," Robert said, getting up from his chair wearily. "I have a lot of tedious letters to write."

"I follow you," Edith added, hastily finishing her tea. "I'm going to see Marigold and the children in the nursery."

He nodded and the two headed for the door that Carson had just opened. Before crossing the doorway, Robert turned to them.

"I'm counting on you to keep me informed of the progress of the work."

"Of course" Tom assured him confidently.

Then they disappeared, leaving only Mary and Tom at the table. After a few minutes of silence, the latter questioned innocently :

"Any news from Henry ?"

Mary almost choked on the sip of tea she had just drank, but luckily she managed not to show anything. Instead, she displayed her usual haughty expression, her eyebrows arched.

"No" she answered, detached. Not the least.

"Curious" he simply said.

"Why do you say that ?"

Tom did not have time to open his mouth to answer when Carson hurried into the room, seeming to have some information to convey.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," he apologized to them.

"It's nothing Carson," said Mary kindly. "What is it ?"

"Mr. Talbot is on the telephone for you, my Lady. "

Mary's heart took a dizzying leap in her chest. She glanced around at Tom, who was delighted to sound her reactions, before drying her lips carefully with her napkin and getting up from her seat.

"Thank you Carson" she told him as she passed by him.

The butler inclined his head reverently.

Mary then went toward the small furniture in the hall where the telephone was installed off. With an inexplicable hint of apprehension, she grabbed the telephone and placed her ear to the speaker. Once again, her heart was excessively racing and beating wildly.

"Henry ?" she said in a voice she wanted to pretend unperturbed.

"Lady Mary," he said pleasantly through the phone. "How are you ?"

"I am good, thank you. What about you ?"

"I am doing well too," he replied without much conviction. "Apart from the fact that I miss you terribly."

It seemed that Mary was going to have trouble keeping her intonation impassive.

"You flatter me, Mr. Talbot" she admitted, half amused and half charming.

She heard him laugh quietly in the microphone, then paused before resuming :

"How about meeting in London this afternoon ?"

"This afternoon ?" she exclaimed more spontaneously than she would have liked.

"You heard me right" Henry said. "It would be impossible for me to wait until tomorrow, not after hearing your voice."

Dozens of thoughts jostled in Mary's mind. She was so absorbed in the charming words of the man with whom she was holding the conversation that she could not properly think. However, she managed to remember without much effort - as they had just mentioned it at breakfast - that she planned this afternoon to go south of the estate with Tom to inspect works. Having no desire to abandon the latter, she prepared to politely refuse Henry's proposition when a brilliant idea came to her mind.

"It will be with great pleasure, Henry," she finally replied. "I will take the eleven o'clock train and arrive at Belgrave Square at four o'clock."

"Perfect," he concluded kindly. "I can not wait to see you."

"Likewise," she admitted. "See you later, Henry."

"See you later, Mary."

Then she hung up the phone, smiling. Nervously adjusting her pearl necklace, she turned around and headed back to the lunch room, her eyes lowered thoughtfully on the floor. As she stepped through the doorway, she hit someone coming from the opposite direction with full force.

"Sorry, it's my fault," Mary confessed just as Tom was about to apologize. "I was not looking in front of me."

The two stared at each other with confusion for a split second, then Tom quickly got back his teasing expression.

"So ? What did he call for ?" he asked, eager to learn more about the phone call.

"He was just asking for news."

"Oh, I see."

Mary paused for a moment and continued, a slight smile on her lips :

"And we see each other this afternoon in London."

At this news, Tom raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, disconcerted.

"Have you forgotten our –"

"On the contrary, I have not forgotten," she cut him bluntly. "However, it occurred to me that we have plenty of time to inspect the estate when we are here so we can go another day."

Waiting for the rest, Tom gave her a questioning look, not seeming to grasp where she was coming from.

"Which means ?" he asked, puzzled.

"Which means you'll join us in London."

Tom then planted his dazed eyes in hers, and, unexpectedly, burst out laughing. In view of his ironical reaction, Mary thought it right to add :

"And you better not refuse. I would take it as a treason."

The Irishman then progressively stopped laughing.

"Mary," he explained in a calmer tone. "You can not expect me to join you while Henry intends to seduce you all afternoon and night. It would be more embarrassing than anything else for the three of us."

"I don't want to hear it," the Lady objected categorically. "If Henry wants to seduce me, he will have to get used at the idea that he will not take over my family, especially not my brother-in-law and partner. He must be aware of Tom Branson's place in my life."


	4. In the Train

**The chapters will now be shorter, for lack of time. Î hope you will still enjoy reading them !**

* * *

 **Mary**

"I'm still not convinced that is a good idea."

Mary looked away from the landscape that went by behind the window of the train and looked quickly at Tom, who was sitting in front of her seat.

"Do not start protesting again, Tom," she scolded, frowning slightly. "Anyway, it's too late to object. We will arrive at King's Cross in less than an hour. "

With a sigh of discouragement, Tom settled comfortably on his seat and distractedly focused his attention on the ceiling, surrendering to Mary's demands. The latter had noticed easily since the beginning of the railway journey that he was somewhat preoccupied. His hands twisting nervously multiple times and his almost mutism showing it. Mary had to admit that she was quite surprised to see this dissipated attitude from Tom, who had accompanied her many times at dinners in the presence of men who intended to seduce her, if only Tony Gillingham. She wondered about the specific reason that led him to behave so unusually. Had she forced his hand too much so he could come with her to London ? Was he really embarrassed to join them ?

No, Mary knew her brother-in-law well enough to know it could not be that. He was far too indomitable and strong-minded to be intimidated by such trivialities. Something else was inevitably obsessing him, and Mary was determined to learn more about his strange mood.

She took hold of a gazette she did not intend to read, unfolded it enough so that her face was partially hidden and questioned with a falsely disinterested air :

"Is something the matter ?"

Tom hurriedly looked away from the chandelier he was staring at in a livid manner to observe Mary's gaze over her newspaper.

"Why do you ask me that ?" he wondered, raising his eyebrows, dismayed.

"I don't know," she said sarcastically as she skimmed an article. "Maybe because you have not said a word since the beginning of the journey."

Caught off guard by this comment, he widened his eyes even more and raised his hands as a sign of incomprehension.

"Perhaps for the simple reason that no talking point is coming to my mind" he retorted with obvious air.

"That's my question," Mary continued. "What comes to your mind?"

"I really do not understand why you persist in asking me this question when there is absolutely no question to ask."

Finally, the Lady lowered her newspaper abruptly on her lap and let her impassive expression fully face Tom, who had slightly jumped at her unexpected movement.

"I perfectly know you Tom," she said firmly. "And I know that something is wrong with you since we left Downton. You behave in an unusual way, you don't say a word, your movements are punctuated by gestures each more nervous than the one before. Clearly, it is as plain as the nose on your face, and you should be aware that after all this time you can not lie to me, you neither. "

Somewhat distraught by these curt accusations, he gaped for a moment, as if he had held his breath throughout Mary's speech. Then he finally exhaled loudly, and the Lady instantly understood in view of his annoyed expression that he was going to resign himself to confess something to her.

"It's really nothing" he finally admitted.

"It does not seem to be nothing, given your weird behavior."

"I'll talk to you about it when we're at Belgrave Square."

"And why not now ?" she asked, curious. "We have plenty of time to discuss it in this train."

"Because –" Tom hesitated, impatiently running his hand through his chestnut hair. "Because it's not certain yet."

Mary arched her eyebrows as she scrutinized him.

"Now I'm rather intrigued," she admitted. "Either you said too much or not enough."

"Way too much for my taste" he deplored.

There was a pause, during which the two partners probed each other. The hazel eyes immersed in the azure eyes, the impertubable expression facing the disconcerted one. Mary almost ended up finding the situation embarrassing. She could not say the reason, but she was strangely struggling to hold his piercing gaze. Of course, she did not let it appear, but was still relieved when he was the one who broke the eye contact.

"It's nothing, really" he repeated with an air he wished detached.

"If you say so" she conceded.

However, Mary remained dubious about Tom's disorientated remarks. He had never lacked eloquence – just like her – it was clear that the event or the thing in question was bothering him seriously. What could be the motive which made him so much worried ?

During the rest of the journey by train, she did not looked away from Tom's eyes, who was he also contemplating the outside landscape. To her stupefaction, her own eyes were irresistibly seeking to lose themselves again in his ocean-colored irises.


	5. The Taxi

**I am sorry for the grammar mistakes in this chapter, this one was quite hard for me to write. Hope you'll still enjoy it !**

* * *

 **Mary**

When Mary set foot on the station platform, she was relieved to feel a fresh breeze brush against her cheeks. Although she greatly enjoyed the London getaways, the several hours trip by train proved to be quite exhausting. While she was adjusting her hat properly on her hair, the porter who was waiting in front of the door grabbed the few luggages that Mary and Tom had taken with them for this short stay in the capital. The latter got off the train just after her. He still had a preoccupied look and looked like he had just woken up from a long sleep.

From the moment Tom had got her understand that something was bothering him, Mary had been wondering about the reason for this anxiety. She was replaying the events of the day over and over in her mind, trying to find some clue as to the reason for his strange behavior, but to her great frustration, she found none. This morning, however, he had not shown the slightest sign of distraction, so she deduced that something had happened between the moment Henry called and their getting on the train. Although the question had been bubbling in her head for a while, she had not approached the subject again for the rest of the journey. Though, she certainly did not forget the fact that he had to explain all this to her when they will be arrived at Belgrave Square, which would not be far off.

Strangely, she was now feeling more concerned about Tom's preoccupations than the fact that she was going to meet Henry, the man who had haunted her dreams and thoughts for several days.

"A taxi is waiting for you on the main avenue, my Lady" the baggage handler informed her.

"Thank you" she replied, motioning Tom to follow her.

The latter complied and they walked side by side towards the indicated place. The hubbub at King's Cross Station was a great contrast to the complete lack of conversation between the two partners. Only the sound of Mary's heels on the cobbles animated their walk.

They both entered the taxi waiting for them.

"Belgrave Square" the Lady announced.

"Very well" the driver answered before starting the engine.

At that moment, Mary instinctively thought back to the distant time, where Tom was the person who was driving her and her family to Ripon. It was still today really hard for her to realize the evolution of their relationship, from simple cordial relations, to a family tie by his marriage to Sybil. And finally, they were having today a sincere and deep affection for each other, in a proximity that Mary would never have thought to share with anyone - except for Matthew. The fact that he had gone to Boston for several months had only strengthened their bond, this distance having made them realize that they were incomplete one without the other.

To this day, Mary never imagined herself to be apart from her brother-in-law again. He was by far the one with whom she got along best in her family, and they also had a great deal in common.

Sometimes, she was thinking about the fact that he would not going to stay alone forever, and that he would end up marrying again one day or another. The very idea of Tom leaving Downton gave her a strange feeling of loneliness, a feeling that was not unknown to her. Indeed, she remembered particularly the period during which Matthew was engaged with Lavinia Swire as a period of great isolation, and a great sadness.

However, the comparison was not really appropriate, since she was in love with Matthew, which was _obviously not_ the case with Tom.

She shivered.

"Are you looking forward to seeing Henry ?"

The question suddenly pulled her from her thoughts and her mind returned to the present time. She took a moment to understand that Tom, still sitting beside her in the taxi, was waiting for her answer. Noticing that she was not answering and that she was only staring at him intensely right in the eyes with a distraught look, he arched the eyebrows.

"Are you feeling well Mary ?" he asked, concerned to see her so troubled.

"Yes, I just – "she began.

She had no idea what she was going to say. Hundreds of thoughts were racing in her head. Her heart was starting to race as well. Her hands were becoming clammy.

 _Could it be –_

"Do you want me to call a doctor when we arrive ?" Tom asked in a worried voice.

"No," Mary replied abruptly, gradually regaining control of herself. "I think it's just all this travel that makes my head spin."

"If you are sure."

 _Yes, just the travel._

During the remaining few minutes, Mary felt Tom's concerned look on her. She must have looked so stupid, even mad. To be honest, she herself had been surprised by her own behavior. An uncontrollable nervousness had suddenly seized her. She had rarely experienced such a state of misunderstanding.

 _No, it was simply unthinkable._


End file.
